Transportation Security Administration

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 10, 2015

Joe Sharkey On the Road column notes Transportation Security Administration has withdrawn its request for proposals that would have permitted private firms to use social media for background checks on people applying for Precheck airport security program; says proposals alarmed privacy advocates. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Supreme Court, in 7-2 decision, rules dismissal of air marshal Robert J MacLean was unlawful, saying he was covered by law protecting whistle-blowers; MacLean told MSNBC reporter air marshals would not be on some important flights in order to save money at Transportation Security Administration. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column features conversation with outgoing Transportation Security Administration head John S Pistole, who says over 45 percent of airline passengers have enrolled in programs to move quickly through airport security checkpoints; Pistole says rules restricting carrying liquids through security will eventually be eased. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Editorial contends John Pistole, who has announced plans to retire as head of Transportation Security Administration, has left transformation of agency's approach to airline security incomplete; maintains creation of true 'risk based' approach to security screening, which would mean more unpredictable and variable measures, is necessary and difficult task that must also be sold to a skeptical public. MORE

Oct. 17, 2014

Transportation Security Administration administrator John S Pistole, whose decision to put in place enhanced pat-downs and full body scans at airports drew wide criticism, is stepping down. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column describes how passenger posing as screening officer at San Francisco airport has raised concerns about use of private screening contractors; notes incident occurred in face of renewed controversy about Transportation Security Administration's management of its privatization program. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column; some travelers have been sent through PreCheck airport security checkpoints without having paid a fee to enroll in popular program, but Transportation Security Administration will soon end that. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

Transportation Security Administration is requiring passengers at some foreign airports to turn on their electronic devices before boarding their flights to the United States; measure comes after reports surface that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is trying to disguise explosives in devices like cellphones; airport officials must confiscate devices that fail to power up. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

Editorial warns that increase in firearms intercepted by Transportation Security Administration at airport security checkpoints highlights worrisome normalization of casual gun ownership; says current gun laws undermine responsibility by sending message that it is okay to bring guns anywhere; holds that bringing firearms into security checkpoints should be made felony in all states. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column; Transportation Security Administration reports that so far in 2014 it has found 892 guns at airport checkpoints, 19 percent more than in the same period of 2013; notes most often, offenders are simply told to take their firearms back to their cars. MORE

May. 6, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column discusses widely hated airport body scanners, noting that travelers with metal implants prefer them; points out that for them, passing through a metal detector often results in a pat-down. MORE

Apr. 7, 2014

Editorial criticizes Transportation Security Administration behavior detection program; holds it has not made TSA agents any better at identifying high-risk passengers despite its nearly $1 billion price tag; urges Congress to take advice of Government Accountability Office and limit funding for the program. MORE

Mar. 27, 2014

Transportation Security Administration releases new security measures in response to fatal 2013 shooting at Los Angeles International Airport; recommends armed personnel be present at airport checkpoints during peak hours of passenger traffic, though airports would be able to tailor the security to their specific needs MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Studies show that body language is a poor indicator of whether someone is lying or not, and that observers have difficulty identifying liars based on body language alone; findings carry implications for airport security training programs that teach Transportation Security Administration officers to read people's movements. MORE

Jan. 28, 2014

Joe Sharkey On The Road column examines a Transportation Security Administration newsletter, noting that employees expect an uptick of travelers attempting to pack firearms and a growing enrollment in the PreCheck program. MORE

Dec. 27, 2013

Paul A Ciancia, accused of killing one person and injuring three others during shooting rampage in November at Los Angeles International Airport, pleads not guilty to 11 federal charges, including murder of Transportation Security Administration officer Gerardo I Hernandez; murder charge could carry death penalty. MORE

Dec. 1, 2013

Air travelers are hoping Transportation Security Administration's new PreCheck airport security system will ease long lines; some are using mobile apps. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column; Transportation Security Administration says it has met its goal of having 25 percent of air travelers using speedy PreCheck security lanes by end of 2013; it used an expedited enrollment phase to add passengers to the fast lane for prescreened, so-called trusted travelers. MORE

Nov. 23, 2013

Autopsy report shows that Gerardo I Hernandez, Transportation Security Administration officer killed by a gunman at Los Angeles International Airport, was shot 12 times, with bullets grazing his heart and piercing his bladder and intestines. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Los Angeles International Airport shooting that left one Transportation Security Administration official dead has security experts re-examining strategy for making airports safe; they say there no obvious solutions and that extending any security perimeter raises other problems. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Editorial rejects notion that some Transportation Security Administration screeners should be armed, which was suggested after fatal shooting at Los Angeles International airport; warns if every shooting in a public place led to a new class of enforcement officers, America would look like a war zone. MORE

Nov. 3, 2013

Prosecutors bring two federal charges against Paul A Ciancia for his shooting spree in Los Angeles International Airport, which left security agent Gerardo I Hernandez dead; as law enforcement officials seek a motive, it has become clear that Ciancia was a drifter who had come to Los Angeles without an apparent job and with little money. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Gunman identified as Paul Ciancia, carrying assault rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, shoots and kills a Transportation Security Administration officer at Los Angeles International Airport; attack sends travelers fleeing in panic and paralyzes one of world’s busiest airports for hours; two other people are shot and at least four others are injured in the melee. MORE

Oct. 22, 2013

Transportation Security Administration is expanding its screening of airline passengers before they arrive at airport by searching wide array of government and private databases that can include records like car registrations and employment information; agency says goal is to streamline security procedures for passengers who pose no risk, but new measures give government greater authority to use travelers' data for domestic airport screenings. MORE

Sep. 10, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes that only some airlines and terminals participate in PreCheck, the Transportation Security Administration program that gives eligible fliers a quick-pass through airport security; notes TSA is working to improve and expand it. MORE

Aug. 6, 2013

Transportation Security Administration expands duties beyond airport security, deploying Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response squads at sporting events, music festivals, rodeos, highway weigh stations and train terminals; TSA and local law enforcement officials say the teams are a critical component of the nation's counterterrorism efforts, but some members of Congress argue that the teams are not effective. MORE

Jul. 30, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column; Transportation Security Administration has an ambitious goal of enrolling 25 percent of all air travelers in its popular PreCheck program by the end of 2013, and 50 percent by end of 2014; program allows fast-pass through airport checkpoints. MORE

Jun. 17, 2013

Editorial cites report released by Homeland Security inspector general's office that raises questions about Transportation Security Administration detection program for screening airline passengers; notes it questions whether program is objective or worth the $878 million spent so far. MORE

Jun. 6, 2013

Transportation Security Administration, facing strong opposition from flight attendants and lawmakers, says it is abandoning plan to allow passengers to carry small knives on board. MORE

Jun. 5, 2013

Report by inspector general for Homeland Security Department says that Transportation Security Administration has little evidence that airport passenger screening program screens passengers objectively; program is believed by some employees to be magnet for racial progriling and has cost taxpayers nearly one billion dollars. MORE

May. 1, 2013

Interview with Transportation Security Administration administrator John S Pistole, who says agency cannot use single method to assess the security risk of each flier. MORE

Apr. 23, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes that Transportation Security Administration is looking into expanding enrollment in its PreCheck program, which provides less-stringent security reviews for those who pass background checks. MORE

Apr. 16, 2013

Transportation Security Administration, under court order issued nearly two years ago, is finally soliciting public comments about its use of body scanners and pat-downs at airports; while feedback has been overwhelmingly negative, it is not clear how public comments will affect airport screening procedures, since more than 800 body scanners are in use at 200 domestic airports. MORE

Mar. 28, 2013

Op-Ed article by Sara Nelson, international vice president of Assn of Flight Attendants-CWA, highlights concerns about Transportation Security Administration's decision to allow airplane passengers to carry knives of specified length; calls for rule to be abandoned. MORE

Mar. 5, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes that Transportation Security Administration is aggressively promoting its new program of using specially trained officers to head off unnecessary difficulties involving security screening of disabled travelers. MORE

Feb. 17, 2013

Loose Ends column by author Calvin Trillin examines the Transportation Safety Administration's decision to exempt passengers older than 75 from having to remove their shoes to pass through airport security. MORE

Jan. 22, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes that Transportation Security Administration is taking some much-reviled backscatter body-imaging scanners out of service but, having spent $45 million on them, it has been vague on where they might be redeployed. MORE

Jan. 19, 2013

Transportation Security Administration says it will begin removing controversial full-body scanners that produce revealing images of airline travelers beginning summer 2013; has canceled contract with Rapiscan, maker of scanners, after it failed to meet Congressional deadline for new software that would protect passengers’ privacy. MORE

Jan. 8, 2013

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes that Transportation Security Administration is testing new behavior detection program where officers use on-the-spot observations and conversations with passengers to select some for quicker pass through airport checkpoints; notes that if program is successful, it will expand to more airports in 2013. MORE

Dec. 18, 2012

Some of the 15 million expected holiday air travelers will benefit from the Transportation Security Administration's expansion of its PreCheck trusted traveler program; agency is under pressure to prevent delays following scrutiny from oversight officials and independent researchers. MORE

Dec. 13, 2012

No-Hassle Flying Act gives Transportation Security Administration authority to waive rescreening requirements for flights from international airports that install baggage scanning processes and equipment similar to those in the United States; legislation is aimed at reducing number of passengers arriving in US who miss connecting flights because their checked bags have to be rescreened. MORE

Dec. 4, 2012

Joe Sharkey On the Road column observes the Transportation Security Administration says it is not under the purview of the House aviation subcommittee, but that does not placate its critics, who say it should be replaced; points out agency has had many problems. MORE

Sep. 29, 2012

Transportation Security Administration says steady increase of people in the United States are being caught boarding airplanes carrying guns, hand grenades and other dangerous items; security experts attribute upsurge to rise in gun sales and so-called right-to-carry laws that significantly relax regulations on carrying guns in public life. MORE

Sep. 27, 2012

Security employees at JFK International Airport will file a formal complaint with the Transportation Security Administration alleging that they are compelled by airlines to rush post-flight cabin security checks so that planes can return to the sky quickly; federal law mandates that each plane be thoroughly checked for items left behind, including weapons, explosives and drugs. MORE

Aug. 24, 2012

Transportation Security Administration rejects four scanning devices that were intended to allow airline passengers to keep their shoes on at security checkpoints; says they failed to adequately detect explosives and metal weapons during tests at various airports. MORE

Aug. 18, 2012

Transportation Security Administration officers who are in a behavioral detection program designed to spot terrorists at airports are ordered to undergo special training after officers in Boston are accused of racially profiling passengers. MORE

Aug. 12, 2012

Officers working as part of the Transportation Security Administration’s program to spot telltale mannerisms of potential terrorists say the operation has become a magnet for racial profiling; Logan International Airport officers in Boston assert that passengers who fit certain profiles, like Hispanics traveling to Miami or blacks wearing baseball caps backward, are much more likely to be stopped, searched and questioned for suspect behavior. MORE

Jun. 30, 2012

Transportation Security Administration fires eight federal air marshals, including a supervisor, who are accused of drinking alcohol at a restaurant on a training day; six others are suspended for not reporting the misconduct; all 14 marshals are assigned to the New York office. MORE

May. 15, 2012

Federal lawmakers are raising concerns over whether body scanners widely used for airport screening are effective at detecting explosives; in Congressional hearings, committee members criticize the Transportation Security Administration, saying it did not properly test the machines, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on them. MORE